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James Woods Dropped By Talent Agent Over Politics

James Woods has been dropped by his talent agent Ken Kaplan, who the actor referred to as a "political liberal." Though Kaplan did not reveal any specifics as to his decision, he referred to "feeling patriotic" as a contributing factor.

Starting his career in the early 1970s, James Woods is an American actor born in Vernal, Utah who made a name for himself starring in movies like David Cronenberg's body-horror thriller Videodrome and Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in America opposite Robert De Niro. He's also lent his voice to several animated projects over the years, including Disney's Hercules as the god of the underworld Hades, Fox's animated series Family Guyas himself, and most recently as Lex Luther in the Justice League Actionanimated series. In his personal life, Woods has positioned himself politically as a conservative, actively announcing his views via his personal Twitter account; and he recently announced that his talent agent Ken Kaplan has decided to drop him as a client.

Woods revealed a screenshot on his personal Twitter account of an email that Kaplan sent him on July 4, 2018 revealing that his agent no longer wanted to represent him. Though light on details regarding why exactly he chose to go his separate ways, Kaplan wrote that his motivation stemmed from it being the Fourth of July, that he was "feeling patriotic," and that he "could go on a rant," but assumed Woods already knew what he would say. Woods referred to Kaplan as a "political liberal," then posted his response to Kaplan on Twitter, saying, "Dear Ken, I don’t actually. I was thinking if you’re feeling patriotic, you would appreciate free speech and one’s right to think as an individual. Be that as it may, I want to thank you for all your hard work and devotion on my behalf. Be well.”

Woods has faced recent personal backlash stemming from the #MeToo movement, with several actresses accusing the actor of sexual misconduct. During the "Take Back the Workplace" march in 2017, actress Elizabeth Perkins marched with a sign inscribed with James Woods' name, followed by the hashtag #MeToo. Actress Amber Tamblyn also responded to one of Woods' tweets revealing that the actor had once attempted to take advantage of her and her friend when she was sixteen years old. She then wrote an open letter to Woods that was published by Teen Vogueabout her experience.

While there's no telling why Kaplan specifically parted ways with Woods, the actor's personal lifestyle may well have played a role. That said, considering the brevity of the conversation that Woods made public, any assumptions about Kaplan's reasons for departure would be purely speculative.